Looking to move to Michigan....help!!! (Detroit, Grand Rapids: mortgage, equity, real estate)

[zygnoda]

http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/T...s-Economy.html

There are five furniture companies in Grand rapids. Meijer (grocery stores) and Amway (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amway) are also important. The automotive industry is also important.

Biggest employers
Delphi Automotive Systems, Llc 9,300
Affinia Group Inc. 6,500
Spectrum Health Hospitals 4,000

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/money...PL2634000.html


tourism is big in the small towns near lake michigan

Metro Areas July 2006 Unemployment rates
Ann Arbor, MI 5.0
Battle Creek, MI 7.9
Bay City, MI 7.6
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI 8.1
Flint, MI 10.0
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 6.8
Holland-Grand Haven, MI 5.7
Jackson, MI 8.0
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 6.4
Lansing-East Lansing, MI 6.9
Monroe, MI 8.5
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 7.8
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 7.9
Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 8.7

from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics

[dc53]

Hi- saw your post regarding move to Michigan- I lived in Muskegon for many years, went to UM- Ann Arbor for nursing, then worked at St. Joe, Pontiac. I agree about maybe not buying a house at this time- with auto being so bad. And don't forget to figure in the property taxes- they are pretty high in Michigan- although maybe compared to where you are now, you won't think so. If you live in the Detroit area, look at Beaumont Hospital it is consistantly in the top ten. U of M would be a great place to work- or Childrens. Because it is one of the top teaching hospitals/colleges, you would stay up to date. You could live outside Ann Arbor- Saline, Chelsea, etc. I don't know what you consider reasonable if you did buy a house, but I don't think you could buy anything liveable for under $300,000 With Ford announcing more lay-offs, and GM probably following suite (my ex is a CPA with GM, so I hear some of the inside stuff), selling your house could be a great loss. Would you have to be within 20-30 minutes for call? If you are worried about crime, which most people are, stay away from Detroit area- this includes Royal Oak area also. I have friends that recently sold their home in Royal Oak because it has become such a crime/drug area. I am sure you have found out that Flint is pretty bad, also. Would you consider Traverse city? With the college up there, things are more up to date, and it is a very cultural area. As other people have mentioned, Grand Rapids is a good choice- Holland is even nicer, but I do not know about medical jobs in either place. I don't suppose you could get your girlfriends daughter to reconsider going to U of M, where you would have a better opportunity?? Whatever you do, good luck!

[mariatherese]

i have to greatly disagree about royal oak being a crime/drug area. i feel it is a very safe area.

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by mariatherese

i have to greatly disagree about royal oak being a crime/drug area. i feel it is a very safe area.

I agree on Royal Oak, I live there and you can walk anytime day or night and never feel any "threat"... its one of the most walkable cities in the area and I think very family friendly, has lots of parks, even dog parks, etc. And there are a lot nicer areas of Royal Oak than where I live in.

I would say it is pricey for what you get (mostly 1940s/1950s homes), but its location to get to anything (freeways nearby) is the reason.

[zygnoda]

Royal Oak
City-data.com crime index
(higher means more crime, U.S. average = 327.2)

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

217.1 196.6 186.7 161.5 168.8 160.5

Oh yeah- they have terrible crime

[travelling_paws]

How close do you want to be to your beloved? I agree, RO is really nice. Another option might be Genisys hospital in Grand Blanc. That's about 10 miles south of Flint but an upscale small city. (Kind of boring and suburban, lots of McMansion subdivisions and golf courses.) There's some nice towns between the RO area and Flint though - Fenton, Holly, Clarkston. Grand Blanc is maybe 30 minutes north of RO and commuting that way, you'd be going against the bulk of commuter traffic on I75.

[ATL-Mike]

Obviously I do not live in Michigan any longer but did for over 20 years. I just had to put 2-cents in about East Lansing area since I did not see it mentioned. It is convenient to Flint and GR, has MSU for lots of sports and cultural activities, the government and MSU provide some stability for the economy, and best of all - you wouldn't have to put up with all the "corn and blue" stuff in Detroit and Ann Arbor. There is a medical school at MSU and several hospitals in the area.

Just a couple of other spots no one mentioned - way up north its hard to beat Petoskey. Out of the way but close enough to Detroit - think about the Port Huron to Mount Clemons corridor. I do agree with one earlier poster about Holland, MI and would also add that Spring Lake is very nice just north of Holland. Up the Lake Michigan coast the Ludington area is growing with retirees and they are renovating their downtown area/marina with housing that would reduce the need for a car at least around town, but it would be a drive to a big city.

My advice on winter - take up a winter sport and plan a vacation in the south for March. Good luck.

[mariatherese]

Petoskey is wonderful. So is Traverse City.

[Kiya]

We moved last year from GR MI to Chesterfield VA. There is a lot of new opportunities with the Health field in GR. (Spectrum Health) There are many very nice, safe and convenient communities around GR. If there is anything I can help you with around GR just let me know.

[Mi_Mom]

Ann Arbor housing market is a buyer's market right now. That being said finding something in Ann Arbor under $200K is harder than finding something above that kwim? Plus you have some 'rougher' spots to live in around the city. LOL We live in Chelsea which is just west there by about 20 mins or so. Like another poster said if you are only planning on staying a couple years I'd definately look at renting as opposed to buying. You wouldn't be 'tied' down here trying to sell when you were ready to move again.

Ann Arbor St Joseph's Hospital and U of M. I don't know much about the VA hospital either. Even though Michigan's economy is hurting right now I think stuff in and around Ann Arbor are holding better than some of the other places in SE Michigan. Not all, but some. I don't know if that has to do with Medical and Education stuff around the area.

Good Luck researching! And with the move!